The Arrogant One
by Yumi Night
Summary: "It's September the 1st already, remember? We got school today. You know what that means…" Ian confirmed as his face suddenly split into a huge grin. Tala grinned back as they thought the same thing. "Yeah, time to have some fun." R&R please!
1. School Day

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 1: School Day

By: Yumi Night

[**Disclaimers**] I don't own any of the character's so don't sue me. It's not like you actually GET anything from me anyway…

_Author's Notes:_ Ok, this is my first ever Tala fic. Wow. I don't know, but I've suddenly started liking the red-headed Russian kid. ^-^ He's cute. Anyway, just to warn you beforehand, this is a Tala/OC fic. I usually don't put up the pairings on the summary you see and people tend to ask me if there is a pairing or not. So, like always, read, review and enjoy!

PS: "This is for talking." _This is for thoughts._

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The morning air was crisp and cold, like it always was in Balkov abbey. Confined smugly inside those cold stone walls, was a certain red-head still tucked under the covers waiting for the first break of dawn to enter the confinement of his small bedroom. Soon enough, light seeped through the small window onto the youths face, waking him up.

Tala yawned heavily as the light signaled another new day. Another day of hell. He trudged out of his small bedroom for a slight shower and a change of clothes before finally making his way down the spiral stone steps to the training grounds bellow the abbey. As he was about to enter the room, he came across his constant companion, Ian, who was leaned leisurely against the stone cold wall beside the door.

"Tala, where are you going?" Ian said casually, smothering his overly stiff school uniform.

"What do you mean? Today isn't…" Tala faltered for a moment and paused in realization.

"It's September the 1st already, remember? We got school today. You know what that means…" Ian confirmed as his face suddenly split into a huge grin. Tala grinned back as they thought the same thing.

"Yeah, time to have some fun."

...

"Marron! Marron! Get up will you! You're so lazy!" The caretaker's shrill voice broke through the silence of her dark room like the crack of a whip.

"I am up. Stop yelling…" The girl's voice shot back as she groggily left her bed and headed for the bathroom, emerging a few moments later in a badly wrinkled uniform. She lumbered downstairs and an old woman stood at the bottom of the wooden steps, one hand holding a big dented pot.

"It's about time!" She exclaimed in a heavy Russian accent. "I do not raise lazy girls here at my orphanage!"

"Ah-ah-ah! We have boys here too." Marion replied in a fake joking manner.

"Smart-aleck girl! Off you go to school before you become late and have to spend day at home with me." Said the old woman as she huffed off to the kitchens. Marion let out a weary sigh as she headed off for school. It was a relief to be away from that orphanage for even a short while. If she had a choice, she'd rather be living IN school than stuck with that woman.

But now, even school was not a safe place for her since that kid Tala moved in from section 2. She had heard about him from the other students from the other sections. Most all off those things she heard were bad. He was rumored to have lived in some sort of monastery along with the rest of his weird little friends. They also said that the reason why the school kept moving his section was because he terrorized the teachers and students alike and that the dean could not control him anymore. His friends weren't any better either, rumor had it. Of course, Marron knew better than to believe 90% of all the rumors that flew around the school.

She walked the few blocks to her school and soon enough a large building surrounded by frostbitten trees and a horde of rich and poor students alike gathered on the campus. As soon as she passed the wide metallic gates however, a cluster of her female classmates surrounded her, half with tears in their eyes and half swooning. She didn't need to ask what the big deal was because soon enough her best friends dragged her out of the crowd and behind a large bush to talk.

...

"Marron! The rumors!" Carrie, a girl with two pigtails hanging from both sides of her face exclaimed into her face.

"It's true! It's true!" Her second best friend, Maria continued.

"What rumor?" Marron questioned, sweat dropping at her two best friends' worry and sudden enthusiasm.

"The one about Tala moving into our section!" Carrie said finally. "The boys said so earlier. They looked so happy!"

"What?" Marron practically felt her world crumble. _Tala can't be moving to OUR section!_

"The rest of the girls are too scared to enter our classroom! The demon's in there ALREADY causing who knows WHAT havoc!" Maria said frantically, tugging on her unruly hair. "Well, half of the girls anyway…the other half just think he's hot."

"I…see…" Marron sighed and steeled herself as she approached the front doors of her school with a determined look on her face. _I will __**not**__ let that demon ruin MY class and MY day! I will get to the bottom of this and put a stop to it!_

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_End Notes:_ Yes! It's done! Not too shabby though for a first Tala/OC fic, if I do say so myself…Hehehehe. So will marron be able to put an end to his tyranny or will HE put an end to her? Find out in the next chapter! Please drop me a review! ^-^


	2. Tala the Tyrant

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 2: Tala the Tyrant

[**Disclaimers**] I do not own Beyblade nor do I own the characters. I am not being paid or making money to write this.

_Author's Notes:_ Yep. I'm back with the second chapter already. Boy, this chapter's gonna be fun to write and read alike (hopefully that is). Well, so since I have nothing important to yap about anyway, just read review and enjoy!

* * *

"Marron! Where are you going?" Maria's voice rang down the heavily crowded hallway. Carrie was on her tail as well.

Marron kept on going, face determined with a nasty growl reverberating through her. She stopped just as soon as she reached a large wooden door with a label of section and number. Without any hesitation whatsoever, she pushed the door open and was greeted almost instantly by a torrent of crumpled paper balls of all sizes.

"M-Marron…" Carrie and Maria simultaneously echoed as soon as they arrived at the door of their classroom. Marron's back was on them so they could not quite tell what her expression was.

Inside the classroom, a seemingly bored Tala seated leisurely on top of the teacher's desk raised up a hand. The stream of paper balls stopped as the boys drew back at their master Tala's command, as so it seemed.

Marron winced at the sight of their classroom. The walls were covered in spray paint of assorted colors. Trash was scattered everywhere; the floor, the desks, and rolls and rolls of tissue paper rolled all the way down the open windows to the floor. Marron took that time to compose herself and glare openly at Tala, eyebrows twitching madly.

"Y-YOU!" Marron spat at him. Tala just yawned and turned his back on her, which irritated her even further.

Crowds began to gather at the entrance to the classroom at the sound of the commotion. People here just loved a good fight.

"You look at me when I'm talking to you!" Marron raged on, hoping to even slightly intimidate him. Tala hoped off the desk and face faulted.

"Is this how you greet a new classmate?" Tala replied mockingly, sounding oblivious to her irritation.

"Stop acting smart!" Cried the brunette in exasperation, eyebrows still twitching like crazy.

"Oh? Is that what I'm doing?" Tala smirked as he again turned his back on her, reseating himself on the teacher's desk. Speaking of which, where was the teacher?

"Wait! Where's our teacher? Ms. Yuran?" Marron insisted. If she could not stop him, somebody should, and quick. Tala let out a yawn and waved mindlessly at her with his backhand.

"Hmm…if you mean that middle-aged dork with overly thick glasses and a bad inferiority complex, she's hiding over at the back of the class I think…or was that some other tramp? Oh well, can't be bothered to remember EVERY little person in this god forsaken school."

Marron didn't need to think. He was just as horrible as the rumors said he was. If it was possible, he was even worse. She hurried off to the back of the class and sure enough, their teacher, Ms. Yuran was cowering in a corner nearly buried with crumpled test papers and tissue paper. Marron though, fought hard not to laugh as she saw her face, which was covered with silly maker drawings.

"P-Please help me!" Cried Ms. Yuran, desperately clinging onto Marron's crumpled skirt.

"Uhh…" Was all the girl could say. Tala on the other hand began to laugh his head off.

"What's going on here?" Came a harsh voice from the door. Tala, Marron and the rest of the boys, who joined up in laughter, stopped and looked to the door. There, struggling to get past the crowd outside was Dean Volsky. Marron gulped. _Now we're in trouble._

"Alright. What's going on?" The dean exclaimed as soon as he got in.

"S-Sir!" Ms. Yuran suddenly squeaked from behind Marron.

"Tala! What have you got to say for yourself this time?" The dean said, turning to Tala.

"Nothing to say, sir." Tala replied in faked innocence.

"Come with me to my office right this instance!" The dean ordered, grabbing Tala by the arm in a painful death grip. Tala yawned yet again and yanked his arm away.

_Finally! Some justice!_ Marron silently cheered in her mind, silently applauding the dean, even if she could not sense what was coming.

"No. I think being in class is a lot more fun. Why don't YOU go on your own? I'm sure you know the way back, Dean Volsky." Tala said back quite calmly, crossing his arms.

"You! Boy!" The dean growled, but for some reason stopped as Tala retaliated with a steady glare.

"Yes, Dean Volsky?" Tala replied sweetly.

"Ahh, err…sorry to interrupt your class then. Miss Yuran should be ashamed of herself. She is clearly at fault, not doing her job. Miss Yuran, please see me after class to discuss this. Very well then. Carry on." The dean faltered as he drew back into the stunned crowd of students outside.

_Wha-?_ Thought Marron, gaping at what she did not believe she had just seen. The dean had blamed their teacher of not doing _her_ job while Tala got away with all THIS? That was totally unreal! Beside her, Ms. Yuran started sobbing and the students gathered outside dispersed.

"Yeah! Tala you rock!" Screamed one of the boys. The rest followed suit and started dancing around the classroom as if they were in some kind of nightclub or rock concert.

Marron was roughly pushed down by one of the boys and fell face first on the floor. Carrie and Maria finally making their way in past all the dancing bodies helped her up.

"Let's get outta here before it gets worse!" Maria near shouted, as the boys were making so much noise with all their yelling.

"Yeah! Come on, Marron! It's not worth it!" Carrie added hopefully, shielding herself from some tissue paper flying her way.

"No!" Marron shouted back, recovering from her apparent shock. "I've got unfinished business with that kid!"

Slowly, she made her way over from the back of the class towards the messed up teacher's desk with a smirking red-head seated on top of it.

"What? Still want a piece of me?" Tala grinned maliciously, motioning her forward amidst the noise.

Instead of a reply, Marron growled and propelled herself forward tackling him down in the most ferocious manner she could muster. Tala, who did not expect this, tumbled off the teacher's desk with a pained groan, the girl on top of him with both her legs straddled at the sides of his torso, effectively holding him in place. It didn't stop there though. Marron lifted her barred fist and hit him hard across the face.

* * *

_End Notes:_ Hehe! Didn't expect that did you? Did you? Well, let's just ponder for a moment. What would happen if a girl really punched Tala hard like Marron just did? I'll bet he'd be really mad…hehehehe! Well, please drop a review!


	3. Death Wish

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 3: Death Wish

[**Disclaimers**] Hey, did you hear? Hear what you say? That I don't own Beyblade of course! You haven't? Oh! So I assume now you know, right? Right then.

_Author's Notes:_ Well, yeah. It was kind of a twist at the end of the last chapter. I just love making these twist. I don't know why. Thanks to them reviewers too, before I forget. Oh well, I haven't really anything good to say again so here. Read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

The boys immediately stopped their 'dance of victory' around the classroom as they saw Tala the tyrant down on the floor with a furious brunette on top of him. Tala's face was still pushed to the side as a result of the punch, so they couldn't much see his expression. They were sure they didn't want to.

"You…hit…me…" A low growl was heard from the floor.

Marron gulped. Had she seriously just hit that kid? No way! Instinctively, she leapt back and watched in terror as he ambled back up, eyes shadowy.

"Marron! Run!" Carrie yelled suddenly.

Before Tala lifted his head Marron bolted out of the classroom. She didn't have to be told. Obviously, that Tala wasn't someone you could bully around. And he certainly would NOT stand for BEING bullied around. Especially by some girl.

Marron only got a few steps down the stairs before she felt a pull on her overcoat collar from behind. _Uh-oh! Not good!_ She was forced to a halt, much to her distaste. Now she knew she was in for it. She whirled around trying to loosen this vice-like grip on her collar. She soon found out that this was not a good idea. Instead on setting her free, her shirt twisted and the buttons popped right out. Her green overcoat was near strangling her. As she still struggled to get free, she felt his warm breath fanning her ear and a few strands of his red hair come into view.

"Nobody…hits Tala…" A soft voice mumbled near her ear.

"Let me go, you freak!" Marron squealed, still twisting and turning. She was sure beginning to get dizzy though. The pieces of cloth still bound tightly on her throat.

"Fine." He mumbled softly. The next thing she felt after that was considerable pain. He HAD let her go, but of course not without a catch. He let go of her collar with a slight push forward. That was all it took for Marron to stumble down the long flight if stairs and land painfully on the floor with a nasty sound.

"Y-You…demon…" Marron uttered softly, staring up at his smirking face.

She immediately got back to her feet and was about to launch another full assault on him when suddenly, one of her legs bucked beneath her. She fell right back down and only then noticed the thick, red substance trickling down her face. Slowly, her hand trembling, she felt around the sides of her smooth face. She didn't quite have the time to identify it though, because just as she withdrew her trembling hand, darkness claimed her.

"Dahs vee dahn ya…" Tala mumbled as his lips curved into a vicious smile.

She could hear numerous voices that seemed to be sounding off all at once. They were slightly fuzzy and indistinct. She guessed they were in the next room. Still, she strained to hear the slightly frantic conversation going on in the other room.

"That boy is a menace!" The dean ranted. "This isn't the first time this kind of thing's happened before!"

"Well, I know _that_. After all the people he's hurt, she's not very worse off. I swear that boy must be the descendant of Satan! For heavens sake!" The nurse cried back.

"Can't you contact his parents or something?" Ms. Yuran's soft voice replied.

"No. That boy lives in that…Balkov abbey with the rest of the devils causing trouble in the other classes." The dean's troubled sigh followed.

Marron opened one eye and realized she was confined in the hospital wing with three other students who were heavily bandaged. She dreaded to see what had happened to them. Must be one of those 'other devils' the dean had been talking about earlier. As she strained to her the rest, she heard the door creak open and three figures walk in. The two of them were none other that her two best friends, Carrie and Maria. The third on the other hand, looking as smug as ever, was Tala.

"How is she?" Maria asked, concern etched on her teary face.

"Is she…dead?" Carrie sobbed after. Marron rolled her eyes at this. Sometimes Carrie was so dense.

"She'll be fine. Well, actually, compared to the others, I can easily say she's much better off." The nurse huffed and glared sharply at the red-head, still seeming to not care either way about anything in the world.

"Thank goodness!" Maria sighed as Carrie continued her hysterical sobbing. Tala yawned and seemed to be dozing off.

"Young man!" The dean snapped just as soon as Tala had closed his eyes.

"What? Can't a guy dream in peace?" Tala replied sleepily, apparently annoyed.

"A guy can. A HUMAN can. But not you, you wretched little imp!" The nurse seethed, turning to him, her rimmed glasses flashing furiously.

"Like I care." Tala muttered back, crossing his arms.

"You demon!" The nurse retorted back, glaring slightly at his self-satisfied facade.

"Tala, the reason you are here is NOT to cause trouble." The dean started uncomfortably. "On the contrary, you are here to receive a full suspension from now until the end of the week."

Marron gulped and braced herself. She knew Tala well enough to know he would definitely not stand for this. She closed her eyes and waited for a few moments when to her surprise he spoke in a low, controlled voice.

"What was that?" He stated, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"I have called your caretaker, Mr. Balkov about this. He didn't seem too delighted though…" The dean stated back.

"I imagine not." Tala shrugged and padded out the infirmary without another word said, closing the door with a slam.

"That boy…is so strange." Marron heard Ms. Yuran whisper.

Marron rolled over and chose not to think about it anymore. After all, her whole day was completely ruined anyway. That devil had succeeded. Still, an air of curiosity filled her. Why had he not reacted violently about the suspension? Was it because he was afraid of his caretaker like she did hers? She slowly drifted off to sleep, her thoughts with her.

* * *

_End Notes:_ Phew! Took a while for this one! I've been searching for Tala pics on the net, you see, but alas! None much found. *sigh* Oh well, the next chapter will be more of Tala torture than anything else. ^-^ It's necessary I'm afraid…So, please review!


	4. The Price of Innocence

The Arrogant One

Chapter 4: The Price of Innocence

**Disclaimers:** I do not own any of the characters except those which I created and in no way I am being paid to write this.

_Author's Notes:_ At last! ^_^ Success! I have found some great Tala pictures! Well, one of them was especially cute with him in a wolfy costume (not SD). He looked really…devastating. O.O Wow, can't believe I just wrote that. Oh well, on with the fic then! Read, review, and enjoy!

**Warning:** This chapter contains a _lot_ of torture. Better brace yourselves for it if you're the squeamish type.

* * *

Marron awoke late that afternoon and as she noted she was still in the hospital wing of the school, she also noticed that her two best friends were long gone. She peered over her thick blanket and saw the orange glow of the afternoon sun slowly setting. With much effort, Marron stood up and headed off to the next room.

"So you're awake, dear?" Came a soft voice from a small desk to the right of the infirmary.

"Uh-huh." She managed a reply.

"It's going to be getting quite dark soon. I've told your friends to leave hours ago…" The nurse trailed off.

"It's alright." Marron stated with a slight smile as she grabbed the edge of a metallic medicine table near her.

"Oh, are you sure you will be able to manage? You've sprained an ankle and you have a slight cut on your forehead. Lucky really, it's nothing worse." The nurse said, putting the pen she was twirling delicately around her slender fingers down and stood up to help Marron with some bandages around the ankle.

"Yeah. I can manage." Marron said and bowed to the nurse in slight gratitude. After all that done, she finally headed home.

"What a first day." She sighed as she made her way back to the orphanage she hardly passed as her home, not knowing that Tala, the class demon, was having one hell of a time.

...

Tala made no move to resist his upcoming lashing. In fact, he made no movement at all amidst all the questioning glances shot at him by all the other kids who were staring at him from behind the cold bars of steel that imprisoned him. He was stripped of his shirt, revealing his bare chest and back as thick shackles held his wrist and his ankles with chains extending behind connection to the stone walls of the dungeon.

An agonizing hour passed as the whole abbey was brought down to watch the whipping about to take place. Not only for the offender's complete humiliation, but also as a lesson to anyone who dares step out of line. Just like he did.

After another minute, the crowds gathered around Tala parted and two men in black cloaks unlocked his cage and unfastened the chains that held him to the wall. They tugged at the chains roughly, not seeming to care at all about the boy held by it. They stopped as they reached a wooden stage in the middle of the open space in the dungeon with about a hundred more people staring down at him from above Balkov abbey. The two monks fastened the chains of his shackles to the two metallic poles sticking out on the four sides of the stage.

"Well, well, Tala." A cold voice sounded silently, as the muttering stopped and dead silence followed.

Tala looked up to see the apparent grimace on Boris' face. Feeling much like a man on the guillotine, he lowered his head again and braced himself for what was coming.

"I heard," Boris began, his voice rose in volume a notch for everyone to hear, "that you made quite a spectacle of yourself at school.

Boris stepped up the stage and tipped Tala's chin up so he could see the boy's face clearly. Tala forced his eyes on Boris' cool expression and felt himself shiver slightly at the man's steady stare.

"This kind of conduct in _not_ acceptable, Tala. Twice you have disgraced me, and now, one must face the consequences of one's own foolishness, no?" Boris stated calmly, releasing the boy's chin as he straightened. One of the monks went up to him and briefly handed him a long black whip, it's handle encased in ragged white cloth. Tala forced himself not to show any signs of fear or emotion as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I will make you learn, one way or another, how one _should_ act. Now you will pay dearly for humiliating the name of Biovolt!" Boris' last words were emphasized as the lash of his whip sang through the air, landing squarely on Tala's sagging shoulders. A rush of blinding pain followed as Tala realized blood dripping slowly down his front from the assault. He saw Boris' arm lift again for a second slash.

Without even giving the boy time to recover from the previous assault, Boris lashed him again, this time around the back, sending Tala down on his knees. With a satisfied smirk at himself, Boris lifted his arm again and sent the whip slicing through the air once more on Tala's other shoulder.

Tala grit his teeth and clenched his fist so hard that it drew blood. Before he knew it, the black whip came down on his naked back again…and again…and again.

The stunned silence of the crowd was so intense that one could actually hear the water dripping from a leak in the ceiling. Finally, Tala's endurance to the mind shattering blows being heaped on him collapsed. He could not hold it in any longer. As the whip came down on him again, he let out a harsh cry of relinquishment and bit his tongue in the process as the whip sang down again for the next painful blow.

Tala could no longer keep track of how long he'd been there, screaming his head off in pure blinding pain. He no longer cared about his dignity or pride. He only wished for this torture to come to an end, and soon. Apparently though, that would not be the case. Lash after lash continued with no respite. Finally, he felt his entire body fall limp on the chains that held him, only jerking spasmodically during each blow.

The blows continued on, the dark labyrinth echoing with the redhead's screams of endless agony. The crowd was still silent, watching this inhuman torture progress. A wave of relief for the boy and the crowd when finally the last blow landed on Tala's bloodied back.

"Hmm, maybe now you will learn your place in this world and cease this impudent habit of disobedience." Boris said softly to the beaten boy's ear before throwing the whip back to one of the monks.

All Tala could muster for a reply was a strangled cry caught in his throat. Boris smirked and stepped down the wooden stage and out of sight. The monks untied him and released him from his shackles. They made no move to bring him to the abbey's infirmary, instead, they shoved him back into his room without so much as a care in the world and left him lying on the stone flagged floor, blood spilling and seeping through the cracks.

Tala closed his eyes, willing himself to a restless sleep. His back now felt completely numb and was bleeding profusely. "Congratulations, Miss Marron..."

...

Marron jerked awake at the horrible scene. _Was that Tala?_ She thought, her voice caught up in her throat. She could still clearly recall the boy's harsh screams of pain. The way he staggered forward blow after blow. Marron reluctantly shook her head.

"No, he's probably sleeping without a care in the world right now." Marron stated to herself aloud, trying to reassure herself somehow. A grunt sounded beside her as her roommate stirred in bed.

Marron let it off with a sigh. "Yes, that's right. Tala's fine. I'm just being silly, thinking about things like that. It's only a freaky nightmare…just a freaky nightmare." She assured herself further as she stated falling back into the warmth of her bed. Not realizing that the boy in her dreams was trembling in agonizing pain at this very second. In a little abbey called Balkov.

* * *

_End Notes:_ Well, pretty short for a chapter I guess. But nonetheless, it puts me in a nice position with the next. Expect chapter five out sooner than you think. ^-^ Well, send me your vote. Should little Marron find out and come care for the poor baby, or does she stay 'innocent' and leave him be until his suspensions over? (I just can't make up my mind =P) Please send tell me so the next part can be out sooner. Thank you! Oh, by the way, review please!


	5. The Day of Revalations

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 5: The Day of Revelations

**Disclaimers:** Yes. In all respect I'd have to say that I don't own them! I don't!

_Author's Notes:_ Yup! Yup! Back with the fifth chapter! Yeah! Now, most of you guys suggested to let her know and have her give him the TLC he desperately needs…but…I don't know…hmm…we'll see! So, on with the fic yet again! Bon Voyage! Read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

"Psst! Did you hear? Tala's been booted!"

"Yeah! I heard! I can't believe it! Tala? No way!"

Rumors continued to hiss throughout the entire student body as the morning bell rang. Marron walked lazily to class that day, huge eye bags under her eyes. She took her seat beside Carrie and another classmate Nicholas.

"Hey! Did you hear? The whole school's been talking about it!" Carrie began happily.

"Yeah! I heard! Marron, you'll be happy to hear this for sure!" A boy with light blonde unruly hair, gelled to opposite ends, almost like Tala's, continued even more gleefully. She knew this boy wasn't one of those 'loyal dogs' Tala had controlled the day before. He was absent that day and she knew this because he and she were housed in the same orphanage. They were practically like family.

"What is it, Nicholas?" She uttered groggily as she turned to Nicholas.

"Whoa, but hey! What happened to you?" He said with an apparent amount of concern, staring intently at lines beneath her eyes.

"I had a bad dream last night and couldn't sleep. That's all." Marron replied hastily. She knew it would be really stupid of her to assume TALA of all people to be the subject of torture. She knew he was just the kind of person who wouldn't stand for that.

"About?" Carrie pressed, leaning her elbows onto Marron's desk.

"Nothing important." Marron ended as the teacher entered the room to begin the lesson.

…

Tala lifted his eyes at the bright light shining from his open window. She let out a pained groan as he tried to sit up, his back clamoring for his attention as spasms of sharp pain shot through him.

He managed the not so smooth crawl to his bed and slowly lifted himself up, not even considering the effects of trying to lay on his backside. He plopped down on his front and winced as his head began to throb. Whether from loss of blood or…something else, he did not know.

He lay motionless for some time, thinking.

_I've never been so humiliated in my entire life!_ Came the sudden thought. It was all he could seem to think about at the moment so he further entertained it. _If it wasn't for that no good little girl…I wouldn't be here…_

His gaze momentarily flickered over his bloodstained sheets. _All her fault. _He concluded harshly, closing his eyes, fully intending to fall asleep. Sleep came sooner than he expected, his backside growing all the more numb from the endless cold. Before his world again melted into nothingness, a sole thought struck him with sheer menace.

_This is all her fault…So I will make her pay…_

_...  
_

Marron was having the time of her life. She was sailing through the seas, basking in the bright sun, and getting along fine with Mother Nature. She was walking through a colorful garden filled with all kinds of flowers all over. She plopped down onto the soft grass and closed her eyes as she lay there, enjoying the cool breeze clearly very rare to find in the coldness of Russia.

She felt a sudden rush of coldness and opened her eyes.

Her eyes widened as flashes of memories surged through her brain.

"I will make you learn, one way or another, how one should act. Now you will pay dearly for humiliating the name of Biovolt!" Boris' last words were emphasized as the lash of his whip sang through the air, landing squarely on Tala's sagging shoulders.

She gasped at the horrendous scene and crawled away, only to find herself bumping into something on the ground. She was about to glare at whatever it was but instead she inched away from it, for 'it' was the lifeless body of her arch-rival.

"Miss Marron!" The teacher screeched. Slamming the wooden pointing stick she was holding onto the girl's desk.

"Yes, ma'am?" Marron looked up, flustered from both anger and embarrassment. The teacher, Ms. Yuran, sighed.

"This is the third time this morning you've fallen asleep! Is anything wrong?" She inquired, concerned.

"Uhh…" Marron hesitated. Should she really tell their teacher about what was bothering her?

"Well?" Ms. Yuran raised a brow, tapping her foot expectantly.

"N-Nothing's wrong ma'am." She lied, closing her book as the lunch bell rang.

With that, Ms. Yuran sighed and walked away to dismiss the rest of the class.

"Okay, tomorrow I will be giving out projects for you to do in prearranged groups for science class. It will be about how the life cycles of humans differ from that of animals. I'm sure you'll all enjoy this assignment. I will be giving you your groupings tomorrow. Very well, then. Have your lunch and be back at 1:00p.m. sharp for English." She stated and dismissed the rest of the class as she stayed arranging various notes on her desk, stealing momentary glances at Marron.

Marron turned to her two friends seated beside her.

"Why didn't you guys warn me?" Marron grimaced.

"Excuse me? I warned you three times!" Carrie started laughing.

"Yeah, I warned you nearly five, plus I answered all the questions she threw just so she wouldn't call out names, namely YOURS!" Nicholas let out a slight chuckle as he reached out and ruffled her auburn hair.

Marron sweat dropped and proceeded to thank the both of them. Why was she thinking about him all day? Why is that horrid image stuck in her head?

She hastily dismissed the thoughts as impossible and went off to lunch with Carrie and Nicholas who later joined Maria in the other section. They went down to the cafeteria and lined up for their lunches.

Marron wasn't really paying much attention as the lunch lady scoped up a bowl of some watery red gunk onto her platter. She absentmindedly stared into her plate and her eyes widened.

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! BLOOD!" She screeched and threw her plate backwards, landing it squarely on Nicholas' handsome face. The excited muttering around them stopped and stared at Nicholas, the sides of his mouth twitching madly as if not sure weather to break into an enormous grin or growl savagely in restrained anger.

"Nicki! I'm so so so so so so SORRY!" She stammered as she turned to see if he was all right. His head was bent downwards but there was no mistaking it, he was grinning so broadly she thought his face would crack. She sighed and glared at him. And to think she thought he would be angry and yell her ear off right then and there.

The crowd soon turned their attention back to their food and their gossip as Carrie, Maria, and Marron went to help clean Nicholas up.

"Honesty, what were you thinking!" Maria exclaimed, glancing disapprovingly at Nicholas' now gunk-stained blond hair.

"I don't know what came over you…poor Nicki…" Carrie half-joked half-accused as she started handing Nicholas some wet towels for his face and hair.

"Well, there goes my hair…" He sighed as his hair was smoothed downwards. Marron was looking away, staring blankly into space and wasn't really paying attention until Nicholas startled her with a yell.

"AAHHHH! BLOOD!" He yelled behind her, making her jump. He and Marron's two best friends laughed as she glared daggers at them.

"That was NOT funny!" She retorted, crossing her arms.

"I thought it was." Nicholas said innocently, reverting his attention back to his hair. Carrie and Maria proceeded in helping Nicholas, giving Marron enough time to think about what had been bothering her the whole morning.

Just as the lunch bell rang again, signaling classes to start, Marron steeled herself. After class, she would march up to Miss Yuran and ask for Tala's address. Then she would go visit him in a not so friendly manner just to prove to herself he was fine.

_That,_ she thought, _is the end of that._

_...  
_

The class bell rang out loud through the entire school that afternoon. Carrie went off to meet Maria when Marron told her to go on ahead. Slowly, she approached the teacher's desk and waited for Ms. Yuran to look up.

"Yes, Miss Marron? Do you have a question on today's lesson?" Ms. Yuran asked as she looked up at her student.

"No…" Marron trailed off uncertainly.

"What is it then?" Ms. Yuran said, looking back down at the various papers she had been checking.

"Actually, I…I wanted to know where…that demo—uhm…I mean, where Tala lives." She muttered almost incoherently, searching for imaginary specks in her uniform.

"Tala?" She echoed, looking up again in surprise and in a low voice added. "You mean, that _child_?"

"Yes." Marron replied; her voice seemed to be caught in her throat.

"Hmm…why?" Ms. Yuran asked suspiciously, propping her head onto her hands.

"Well…" Marron groped for a good excuse when it hit her. "Because I want to bring him his homework."

"Homework? He's been suspended, dear. He will not receive any credit for homework." Ms. Yuran replied, getting even more curious.

"I-I mean his lessons, you know, his…books." She added hastily, noticing the strange triumphant glint in her teacher's eyes.

"Oh, yes. His books. I've been meaning to ask Nicholas to bring them, but since he is off to soccer practice, I was afraid I'd have to go on and give it to him…personally." She sighed and searched for the textbooks. She found them and handed them to Marron, who nearly sagged under the added weight of his books and hers.

"I'll write his address onto the cover of the English book." Ms. Yuran said, grabbing the small English textbook atop the pile, and scribbled something onto the cover with a newly sharpened pencil.

"There you go." She said happily as she put the book back on top the pile and added. "Thank you for volunteering. You've helped me so much already. Just come to me if you have any…problems."

"Yes, ma'am." She replied as she carried the books off with Miss Yuran smiling knowingly behind her before resuming the task of checking test papers.

...

Marron stared again at the English book with Tala's address. She looked up at the metallic gates that was only half open and onto the huge edifice in behind it. It looked like some sort of monastery.

_Either that or a convent. _She thought, laughing silently at her own little joke. She pushed the gates wide open, stopping after she stepped in to make sure she was welcome. When no one came to shoo her away, she passed it as a welcome and continued her way forward, intending to ask someone if they knew or saw a redhead named Tala.

She came across three monks who hurried off as soon as she was about to approach them. With a sigh, she wandered along some more, staring at the stone carvings in the walls. She stopped once or twice to stare at one or more interesting rock sculptures, but no one seemed to be here to ask.

She circled the grounds twice and found no one to guide her. With a relinquished sigh, she headed back to the gate, hoping to try her luck tomorrow morning when a small voice called out from behind her.

"Hey! You brunette!" The voice called. Marron turned to glare at whoever it was, but saw nothing. She looked around, further scanning the grounds for any sign of the person when she heard a cough from her front. She looked down.

"Hello." The kid greeted. He was probably a head shorter the she was in the least. Forcing herself not to laugh, she replied.

"Yes. Hi. I'm Marron Murin. I'm here to deliver Mr. Tala's books." She said in a purely civil form.

"Eh? Tala's books, you say?" He echoed disbelievingly.

"Yes." She replied, fighting to keep her face straight.

"Okay, then…oh yeah. I'm Ian." He said before motioning her to follow.

She was about to thank Ian when he lifted his hand and looked back at her.

"Don't bother." He said sternly as he led her through the maze of passageways below the monastery. She stared at the dimly lit corridors and idly wondering why it was lighted like some medieval castle.

"Here." Ian motioned to a single wooden door to the right. He nodded as she approached it and clasped the cold metal handle and left. With much effort, she pushed the heavy oak door aside and her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. The books dropped to the floor as she slumped against the wall, gasping for her breath at the horrible sight of Tala.

* * *

_End Notes: _Well, did you expect that? Actually, writing this chapter didn't at all turn out the way I expected. I was supposed to make her dream again the following night and then make her go see him. *shrugs* Oh well, I guess I got a teeny bit carried away with the Nicki parts. I like that name! ^^ Just picture Nicki as a blond version of our beloved Tala. So, with that done, I beg you to review! Who knows, if I get good reviews the next part will be out tomorrow! Or the next day! Or the day after that! Anyway, the more you review the faster I write! Hahaha! See ya!


	6. Tender Loving Care

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 6: Tender Loving Care

**Disclaimers:** I don't own them. I own nothing except for all of the people from the school and the orphanage so help me! :P

_Author's notes: _Oh well, I'm getting amused. ^^ Seeing as how I have lots of endings up here in my twisted head. Oh yeah, which reminds me, in the past chapter, I didn't mean 'the horrible sight of Tala' saying that he's horrible. I was just meaning to express how horrible a sight it was for her to see him bloodied up. Forgive me, I just wanted to make everything clear. ^-^ Anyways, on with the chapter! Read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

"Oh my god…" Marron rasped as she leaned onto the stone cold wall for support. She slowly took time to recuperate and wash the dread from her mind. What if he was dead…because of her? She shook her head once and approached him.

He was asleep. She could tell even if he had his back on her. She cringed as she peeled off the covers concealing his bloody wounds. His back was in tatters and he wasn't even bandaged! Suddenly, her dread turned into anger.

"No HUMAN could leave a person like this!" She exclaimed, standing up. And surely if these people didn't care, she was going to. If they couldn't take care of him, she would. This realization surprised her a bit. Only a few hours ago, she would have loved to see him like this, suffering in some cold stone tower. All alone.

Marron sat down beside his sleeping form and unconsciously smothered his unruly red hair. _I thought I wanted this. But…I guess I'll admit this is too much. For even you…_Tears began to well up inside her eyes. _I'm sorry Tala._ She hastily wiped her eyes clean and proceeded to walk towards her bag to get some towels she knew she had.

She was about to walk back to her bag and get some fresh towels to clean him up, when a hand shot out from behind her and caught hers in a firm death grip.

"Wha-!" Marron turned only to find her patient awake and surprisingly, seething mad.

"Y-You!" He spat, trying hard to sit up. He still held her in place.

"Tala!" She winced as his grip tightened considerably around her wrist.

"Your…fault…all your fault…" He said brokenly as he lurched forward to attack her. Suddenly though, the light around him vanished as he felt himself carried once more to a plain of darkness and unconsciousness.

…

Ms. Yuran shuffled the rest of her test papers aside and prepared to leave. She got one foot out the classroom doors when a figure bumped into her, almost sending her to the floor.

"Sorry, ma'am. I was just looking for you." A voice sounded from behind her. She abruptly turned towards the speaker.

"Who is it?" She demanded as she saw the blonde boy covered heavily in mud and sweat, his sleek blonde hair very unruly.

"Me ma'am, Nicholas." He replied, honoring her a quick bow.

"Oh…" She sighed. She almost associated this sweet child with that other kid Tala. They had the same icy blue eyes, though Nicholas' seemed a tad bit more…gentle and tame.

"What is it, dear?" She said at once with a smile in atonement for her earlier thought.

"The books you wanted me to fetch…you know, for Tala…Tala Balkov, I think." He said softly, hastily wiping a smudge of mud off his right cheek.

"Oh, yes." She begun, she started back into the classroom for them. Nicholas followed her inside as she begun to look for the small pile of textbooks. She looked in all the drawers but couldn't find it. She checked everywhere and sighed as she lifted her head to Nicholas.

"I'm sorry, I must have misplaced it or…" She paused as a thought struck her. She remembered now. She had given the books to Marron earlier that afternoon. She smiled reassuringly as Nicholas glanced curiously at her.

"I remember now! I gave it to your classmate, Marron. She wanted to give the books to Mr. Tala personally for some reason…" Ms. Yuran said with a slight twinkle in her eyes that Nicki didn't like.

He heard of what Tala had done to her on their first day. It didn't take a genius to conclude that Marron and Tala were NOT on friendly terms with each other. So if that was true, why DID Marron willingly offer to take his books to him? _Something isn't right about this. _

"Did she say why she wanted to give him his books?" Nicholas replied, more out of suspicion than curiosity.

"No…not really…" Ms. Yuran sighed, and then looked back at him. "Why?"

"No reason…" Nicki said at once, preparing to leave. In his mind thinking, _I will get to the bottom of this…_

…

Tala slowly opened his eyes. He could tell he was still in his room where those monks left him a day ago, nearly bleeding to death, but he also remembered something else about this room. But what was it?

"Are you awake yet, Tala?" Came a soft voice from his side. He jerked his head towards the sound and realized at once that that wasn't very wise. Pangs of pain reverberated through out his entire body, leaving him numb and chilled to the very bone.

"Who is that?" He snapped, wincing a little as he felt something warm rubbing down his neck, flinching a bit as it dabbed at a cut at his side.

"Me." Marron reluctantly popped her head out from somewhere beside his bed.

"What are YOU doing here?" His anger ignited at once. Now he remembered. It was HER who was trying to disturb his sleep!

"I'm here to help YOU, dear sir." She said, giving him a quick glare before resuming the job of cleaning up his wounds.

"I don't need _your_ help. After all," He said sourly, looking straight up. "This is all YOUR fault."

Marron didn't yell back in defense as he expected her to do. Instead, she kept her head bent low still tending to his bruises. He slowly lifted his head to look at her and nearly jumped back at what he saw. She was crying. Her hands were still moving, but tears stained the sides of her face as she continued.

"I'm…sorry…" He muttered, wishing he could take back what he said. Sure, he was prided as the class demon, who didn't give a whoop about rules and regulation. Sure, he talked back to his superiors. Sure, he was also evil, mean, vile, and all those other things. What he couldn't understand was why he…cared for what she felt. He actually cared…

A long period of silence followed as Marron was bandaging his wounds. He only watched in astonishment as she finished up. As soon as the last scratch was covered, she stood up and sat on his bed, her back to him.

"Tala," She began, her voice quivering a little. "I want you to come home with me."

_WHAT?_ He nearly fell off his own bed. Was she serious? Didn't she HATE him? She couldn't stand to be inches near him, let alone in the same house.

"Are you serious?" He voiced, brow slightly twitching.

"Yes." She confirmed, turning her head to look at him. Her expression was dead serious.

"Why?" He replied suspiciously.

"I want to…make it up to you." Marron sighed, looking away again. Tala could almost be sure she was going to start crying again if he refused.

Marron sagged lower and refused to look back at him. She knew he wouldn't want to. He hated her after all, and the feeling was very mutual. She sighed once more and stood to leave when a lazy grin swept his features as he sat up completely.

"Are you sure?" He asked, raising a brow. She couldn't find a voice to reply so she just nodded.

"Okay then. Let's go." He said finally, grasping her hand for support as he tried to get up.

Marron didn't know what made her do it, but as soon as he said those words, she jumped into his arms and hugged him, tears blinding her vision as she lied on top of him on his bed.

"OWWWWW!" He screamed, yanking her away from him and turning over. "M-My back…"

"S-Sorry Tala." She smiled apologetically, rubbing her eyes.

"If you ever make that a habit, I take back my answer. It'll take a year for me to heal at this rate…" He half joked, straightening up.

With much effort, Tala and Marron walked out of Balkov abbey. The sun was setting over the rugged horizon as darkness enveloped the city soon after for another new day to begin.

* * *

_End Notes:_ Yay! Chapter's finally finished. Took a little longer than expected. Phew! ^^ Sorry bout that. Had a minor writer's block. Neways, tell me how was it? A bit boring? Touching? Sad? Corny? Sappy? Warm and Fuzzy? …Funny? Tell me and please review! Bye for now! Wait up for chapter seven soon!


	7. The Dark Side of Nicki

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 7: The Dark Side of Nicki

**Disclaimers: **I don't own them. I really don't. I don't I tell you. Really. This enough to convince you yet?

_Author's Notes:_ Okay, okay, I know there was some confusion at the end of chapter six. Well, yeah. I was kinda rushing it cause my annoying little brother was bugging me to finish it so we could both get some sleep. Yeah, I'm evil…I was holding him prisoner in our study room…hehehe. Or actually…forcing him to help me finish the chappy…I also will take time in this chapter to make up for the rush. Neways, I don't usually do this, but answers to your reviews on the P.S. Some things that need clearing. Read, review, and enjoy by the way!

P.S.

Hokone: Wow, really long review…just the way I like it! ^^ Ok, down to the review. Oh, sorry. Didn't think you meant that. These things can get really confusing at times. Hmm, you do have a good point on the waltzing out thing. I better fix that…yeah…thanks for the suggestion. Oh yeah! And the Hogo thing made me laugh. ^^ Are there really fics like that? Glad you liked this, Hope you like this chapter too.

Bloody Mary: I've been wanting to thank you for your constant reviews! ^^ It helped me a lot. Especially the suggestions. I'll try to see about the chocolates for Tala though. :P just kidding! Hope you enjoyed!

Shadow Rebel: Hmm, yeah. Come to think of it, there isn't much good Tala only material around to read. I know one great author that writes Tala fics…actually, it's…well, Tala. Well, that's the name anyway. Great Tala fics…

Mayuka625: Hi again! Remember me? *grins* Neways, yes. It was odd…and a bunch of other things too I guess. Glad you liked it! ^^ Hope you update soon too, been waiting up for it.

Krixel: Glad somebody thought it was cute! Can't believe someone actually said it was…funny. Is it? Oh well. Glad you liked it! Be pleased to make more!

aveon16: Again, glad you liked it! ^^ Yeah, Tala deserves some TLC…at least even from Boris whom we all hate…well, most hate anyway…

Thanks for the review! Please remember to review this chapter too! Look! I even made it a tad bit longer. *looks down* Read, review, and enjoy!

**Warnings:** Nothing on this chapter but…A teeny bit of Tala-torture in the next few ones…though probably not as bad as the previous one. And, no, you won't hate Boris for it this time.

* * *

Boris watched from his window at the two forms retreating into the sunset. _How very amusing…_ He smirked and casually pulled down the heavy curtains. At first, he didn't believe it when Ian marched up to his office just to report about some girl wanting to see the leader of the Demolition Boys.

He sighed as he sat down on a chair facing a dark mahogany table. He took out a file from one of his many drawers and pulled out a thick folder. He had to admit he almost fell over his desk when he heard _who_ came calling for him. And to think he once thought he would not live to see another one from that orphanage.

The Solzhenitsyn Orphanage.

He shuffled through the numerous files inside the worn out folder until he found just what he was looking for. The name of the student everyone here remembered as _The Black Wolf_, for people were too afraid to even speak his name. The most cruel, ruthless, cold-blooded boy he had ever handled. He grinned an insane grin as soon as the name came up on bold letters in front of a particularly thick file of papers.

The name Nicholas Chernobog. Chernobog, meaning "black god". It was said that in Slavic mythology,this name was the exact same name of their god symbolizing evil and darkness.

_It suits him perfectly_. Thought Boris as his grin widened further.

...

Tala stared darkly back at the abbey, brows furrowed. This wasn't right. How could they just walk out like they just did? He was sure Boris at least KNEW he was away by now. Just enough time to call out his ever loyal cronies to recapture him. But no? He continued on thinking and didn't really notice the girl tagging along beside him, pulling on his sleeve for the past five minutes.

"Tala!" She yelled into his ear. The sound of her voice made him jump, hitting his head on a low protruding branch.

"What?" He snapped, rubbing his throbbing forehead.

"We're supposed to turn here!" She directed, pulling him over across the road onto another street. She looked back at his dazed expression and added. "What's wrong with you anyway?"

At first she thought he didn't hear her, but a moment later he shrugged and shook his head in reply. The rest of the walk continued in silence as they finally reached the stone house where Marron lived. A big rusted sign hammered onto the rusted metallic fence read, _Solzhenitsyn Orphanage_.

They walked up to the front doors as Marron paused to look for her key. She found it and unlocked the door. It creaked open.

"Well, it's not much, but I guess you can say it's home for now." Marron said, looking back at him apologetically.

"Are you…sure they won't mind?" He replied faintly, stepping inside with her.

"No, I don't think so." She didn't bother telling him they received new kids to take care of almost every day anyway. Besides, he was just staying until he was better before going back to that hellhole they called an abbey.

Marron brought him inside and ducked at once. A plate was sent flying across the room, shattering as it hit the wall by somebody and would have hit her hadn't she ducked. She stood up and brushed the small fragments of porcelain that fell on her skirt. She motioned to him again as if nothing had happened and almost laughed at the stunned expression on his face.

"What?" She asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Is that a normal thing here? I think you should have warned me about flying plates before you invited me over." He said, frowning at how casually she was reacting. "Or maybe you plan to kill me with it right here?"

"No, you'd come back to haunt me if I did. Well, brace yourself." She said softly before a low raspy voice sounded ahead.

"You!" Came a raspy female voice from ahead of them. Marron stared ahead as her caretaker strode towards them, hands on hips as usual.

"It's very nice to see you too, Caretaker Flemingcof." She said in simple monosyllables.

"Where have you been? You are supposed to return from school hours ago!" She retorted and glared at her for a moment before raking her eyes over Tala.

"It's nice to know you care, but I had something I needed to do." She smiled brightly at her caretaker before she took too much notice of Tala and decided to do who-knows-what to him later.

"You horrid girl! I did not raise you to talk back to me! Here I am, slaving away all day in kitchen and you come bring home a boy! A boy!" She scoffed before she turned a heal and left.

Tala raised a brow as Marron shrugged. She grabbed Tala's arm and pulled him up the stairs to the second floor. She stopped and let go of his arm as soon as they reached the entrance of the long hallway.

"Isn't this an orphanage?" Tala said suddenly as Marron started looking into the rooms for space.

"Yup. Why?" She replied, not paying much attention to him as she continued to search.

"Well, isn't there supposed to be…well, more people?" He inquired, looking around the deserted hallway into the rooms she was checking. They had a lot of stuff all right, but almost no people in too.

"There ARE a lot of people, but they're somewhere downstairs right now. You don't want to see them." She implored, checking the last room down the vast hallway.

Marron sighed as she closed the door and looked up at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Tala. No space." She uttered. Tala sighed. Great, and to think he almost really believed he would be rid of Boris breathing down his neck for a while. What the heck did she bring him all the way here for if she was just going to kick him out afterwards?

"Then I'll be going back now." He said frigidly, narrowing his eyes at her and turning on his back to leave.

"Wait." She stated, grasping his sleeve. He glared back at her.

"Just stop wasting my time, little girl." He spat back, anger igniting at her persistence.

"I wasn't finished." She said, giving him a sharp glare right back. This made him turn back to her as she continued talking.

"Well, I didn't think you'd want to sleep in with kids. So I counted that out when I checked. There is one room you _could_ stay in, well…if you don't mind staying with someone that is." She concluded, waiting for a reply.

"It depends. Is it you?" He inquired, staring at her suspiciously. He glared at her when in reply; she started laughing her head off.

"Why Tala, I'm shocked. You don't like me?" She half-joked after her laughter subsided.

"I'm not kidding." He said, looking away abruptly. She sighed and gave him a faint smile.

"Not me, my friend." She said, walking to the middle of the hall. She tugged a long cord hanging down from the ceiling and brought down a narrow flight of stairs going up to some kind of attic room.

Tala followed her up and into a spacious room with two beds and a small bedside table in between them. The paintings on the wooden walls were covered in drab cloth and very dusty. The only other thing to look at besides the covered paintings and bed was a small study table opposite the beds, stacked with thick books, a worn out soccer ball, and a pile of pencils. An old oak dresser faced the staircase, over it stood two very rusty silver candelabras as a hazy mirror hung over it.

"This is Nicki's room." She announced, drawing Tala from his keen observations. She frowned as she picked up a sweat-covered shirt and a pair of socks on the floor "I guess this means he was home."

"Correction. I _am_ home." A voice suddenly sounded from behind them. They both whirled around to face the speaker. Nicholas was leaning on the wall opposite them, a lazy smirk spreading on his face as he surveyed them.

"Nicki! You devil! I told you never to do that!" Marron smiled as she approached him, hands behind her back.

"And what brings you to my humble abode?" He grinned, picking up the rest of his clothes scattered on the floor and handing it to her.

"I was going to ask you a favor actually." She said, accepting the pile of muddy clothes in his hands. "Would you mind taking care of Tala for me? It would be very…degrading to see him make his bed with the kids who'll probably pull on his red hair at night."

Tala choked at this, but Nicki threw back his head and laughed. She walked back to where Tala stood and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks Nicki." She muttered as he opened the stairs down for her. He pulled the staircase back up. He stood up straight after and walked over to his bed beside the small, misty window. He sat down and leaned his arms on his knees, still not taking his eyes off Tala.

"So," Nicholas began, eying him curiously, "you're Tala Balkov?"

"Yeah." He replied, staring straight back at those piercing blue eyes akin to his own.

"I heard you got suspended. Why?" He questioned innocently, still not breaking the steady gaze of his icy blue eyes.

Tala stood there before the quizzical eyes of Nicholas, unable to reply. He felt like some kind of suspect under some interrogation program. Tala let out a slight sigh. He couldn't tell him what really happened. That he hurt the girl who was helping him now. That he hurt Nicholas' friend. He shrugged after a while as his voice came out shakily.

"It's because I…made fun of the teacher. Nothing too special." He said in a monotone. Finally looking away in self-disgust.

"I see." Nicholas answered, a smile evident on his face as he put his feet up to lie on his bed. His hands locked behind his head, staring intently at the ceiling.

Tala took this time to sit onto the spare bed with his back now on Nicholas. He couldn't quite seem to outstare this kid. He seemed to have this look that cuts right into your soul. He didn't like the feeling. Not at all.

"Balkov…" Nicholas' voice rang out suddenly, interrupting Tala's thoughts. "Strange name, isn't it?"

He didn't bother looking back, not wanting to look straight into those pools of endless ice again. Nicholas cleared his throat a little impatiently, apparently still waiting for an answer.

"I guess…" Came Tala's strangled reply. He wanted to leave this room, away from this boy. Something about him didn't seem…right.

Tala heard Nicholas get up from behind him and walk a few paces towards him. For some reason, Tala's body immediately tensed. He let out the breath he was holding as soon as Nicki passed by his bed and descended down the staircase.

_Something tells me there's going to be a lot more like this and worse…_

Nicki ducked as a few plates were hurled his way. He grabbed the doorknob before the caretaker got to him and strode outside despite the heavy snow falling overhead.

He strolled down the near empty streets until he reached a snow covered stone monastery, clutching a small pendant hanging from a chain in his neck.

He paused for a moment as he stared into the palm of his hand where the small silver sculpture of a back wolf lay. He smiled an insane smile and walked in, the sterling silver tag beside the image slowly swaying in the harsh winds pounding his body.

Engraved elaborately on the tag lay these three words.

_The Black Wolf._

_

* * *

_

_End Notes:_ Okay! Finally through with chapter seven! Yup! Yup! I think this will be the fic to first break my record of eight chapters straight! I seem to have this habit of stopping on THIS chapter! It's really irritating. Well, just wish me luck and give me some REVIEWS! Yay! Go _The Arrogant One!_ Hang onto0 the next chapter, which should be out soon…if things go the way I plan it to. Thanks for reading! Goodbye!


	8. Learning History

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 8: Learning History

**Disclaimers: **I don't own the characters. I only own all of the OCs. Thank you!

_Author's Notes: _Hello again everyone! I am sorry it took so long for me to come up with this chapter! It took me more than 5 years. . I hope the wait was well worth it! For those of you who added me onto their favorites list as either an author or just the story, I thank you profusely. For others who were just stopping by and dropped a good review for me to read, I thank you profusely as well. I apologize that it took me nearly 5 years to come up with a next chapter but I hope that everyone enjoys this as though I wrote it 5 years in the past when I should have. With that, I will bid you to read, review and enjoy!

* * *

Tala sighed with relief as he heard Nicki leave the dingy and depressing attic they now both occupied. There was something off about that boy. He could feel it. It was as if there was something sinister, something evil underneath those hauntingly cold eyes that were so similar to his own.

He tried running through his memory and as far as he could remember, he had no recollection of ever meeting such a boy at school. Not one with those eyes. It might have been just as well too. He couldn't risk having his irrational fears manifest itself when he was at school; the only place where he could exert his control over something. A place where his rule reigned supreme.

Idly, he rubbed the back of his neck and tried flexing his shoulders a little. After Marron's tender ministrations, they hurt a lot less than he remembered the previous night. He still hadn't really thanked her for 'rescuing' him or giving him a place to stay.

He slowly got up and found the staircase leading down to the rest of the orphanage. He noticed that more people seemed to be in their rooms now. They were all looking at him curiously. He ignored them trying to look for that girl.

_Where had she run off to? _

Tala rounded a corner and found himself nearly bumping into an old nasty looking woman who he heard Marron calling Caretaker Flemingcof when he was being "welcomed" into the old broken down orphanage just minutes before.

"Uhhh…hello." He said unemotionally. "I am looking for someone."

She merely glared at him at first, and then after a long moment of silence replied.

"What is it you want, boy? Stop wasting precious time. Many mouth to feed, including you now." She rasped and scowled darkly at him; her accent making her a little hard to understand.

"I am looking for my friend Marron." He said frowning at her. He didn't like her. She reminded him of Boris a little.

"She is probably downstairs, by window. That girl is so lazy! Do not do anything but daydream!" She huffed indignantly and disappeared around the corner into one of the rooms.

He found an old wooden staircase that led downstairs and slowly descended the steps, looking for a window as she said. Couldn't she have been more specific? He guessed she must have been that vague on purpose, just to annoy him.

He entered what looked like a small living area. This must have been where parents came to visit when they looked at orphans to adopt. It was only a little nicer and better furnished than the other parts of the building. It had a couch at least.

In front of the old couch, he saw a huge window and Marron standing right next to it. He started walking towards her, but then stopped as soon as he was close to her, not wanting to interrupt whatever she was doing.

She was tracing messages into the fog in the glass with her finger when she noticed someone standing behind her. She saw his reflection in the glass as she focused on the image and she turned to face him.

"Hey you!" She said happily. "Do you like your room?"

"It's okay I guess…" Tala replied in an offhand tone.

"Nicki is a great guy, I'm sure he doesn't mind having a roomie! He's been up there all alone for as long as I can remember so it must be nice for him to have company." She said, smiling happily. Tala was intrigued by this new piece of information about his new "roomie".

"Speaking of this 'Nicki'…" He said casually, closing his eyes and trying to look as cavalier as his tone suggested. "Why does he even have that room all to himself when the orphanage doesn't have enough room to spare normally? What makes him so special?"

Marron bent her head in thought for a while. She hadn't really thought about why the caretaker thought about giving him that room and letting him have it all to himself as he did now and as far as she could remember.

"Weeell…I can only say this out of personal experience." She started to say, still thinking a little. Tala paid closer attention. Maybe he would find out the secret behind the mysteriously ominous aura that seemed to surround Nicholas.

"What is it?" Said Tala, his voice hushed as he prepared to listen closely to what she was about to say.

"I think Caretaker Flemingcof just gave him a room to himself because of good behavior!" She declared slapping her fist to her other hand.

"You can't be serious." Tala declared, slapping his hand on his forehead in exasperation. "That isn't it."

"Why not?" Marron replied, feeling a little offended. "Do YOU know some secret about Nicki that I don't? Have you even met him before I introduced you two earlier?"

"I don't know him." Tala shot back, but couldn't say any more than that. What could he say? That he felt a dark aura surrounding Nicki, her friend? She would just laugh and think he was crazy or delusional…or a sissy for saying he was afraid of a boy who looked as if he couldn't hurt a fly.

"Then don't you go making comments like that about my friends." She huffed and glared at him.

"I'm sorry." He found himself saying automatically. He didn't come looking for her to start another fight. "I actually was looking for you."

This was news to her. Tala the demon, looking for her. She wasn't able to think of him as a demon when he was bloodied up and beaten worse than a dog, but now, with his haughty and arrogant stance and expression, she remembered who she brought home with her.

He may have been beaten like a dog, but this did nothing to suppress his spirit or his arrogance. She might have admired him for his courage and resilience, but his arrogance was something that always raised her hackles.

"Why were you looking for ME?" She said, snapping out of her reverie.

"Well…" He started, scratching his head and looking down at the very dirty and worn carpeted floor. "I wanted to thank you."

She opened her mouth to utter a rebuttal at the imagined insult or comment he was about to make, but as soon as she heard this, her eyes softened.

"You're welcome." She said, a soft smile touching her lips slightly.

Tala stared at her for a while. He somehow didn't expect her to simply accept his thanks as humbly as that. He expected her to rub it in or make fun of him for it. After all, this was the same girl who dared stand up to him when everyone else was too afraid. She was the one who sparred with him both verbally and physically. Heck, she had even had the nerve to punch him in the face, something no other boy in school had ever dared to do.

All this was running through his head when he heard her speak again.

"You know…" She said, her voice faltering slightly. "What they did to you…"

He closed his eyes and walked away from her. No one should have seen him in such a humiliating state. He didn't want her pity. He wanted no one's pity. Not for losing both of his parents, not for this or anything else he may have endured.

"Can we not talk about it please?" He said sarcastically, dragging his thoughts away from his musings about his past. "I don't want to discuss it."

She sighed and opened her mouth as if she was going to say something still despite his warning. Instead of saying something more, she simply walked close to his back and put her hand on the wounds she had bandaged not so long ago.

"You know…" She said unemotionally for the first time that he could remember. He had heard her angry, annoyed, and then shocked and emotional in the past few hours. He wanted to turn and look at her face to try and guess what she was thinking now.

"My parents left me when I was very little." She continued, her voice still devoid of any emotion. "I don't even remember what my parents looked like. I have no proof they even existed."

Tala could not find anything to say to this. He just stood there, unable to move or react. He could handle almost any form of punishment or anger, but he was at a loss as to how to handle this.

"Caretaker Flemingcof told me that I was a 'late bloomer'." She kept going in a monotone, still without a trace of emotion in her voice. "I could not speak or read or write like the others were doing when I was little. She told me that my parents must have left me here because of how stupid I was and that I was probably useless for them to keep."

Tala still said nothing. What could he say?

"That's not as bad as what you went through though, I know." She said a little cheerily, for the first time in what seemed like ages. "I think you are very brave."

He could not recall ever feeling sorry for anyone, but for some reason this story she had just told him made him a little sad. He heard himself sigh, but still he said nothing.

He waited for her to continue talking, but nothing came. He was about to turn to face her for the first time, but it was then that he felt her arms encircling him from behind. He never recalled having been hugged before, but it felt natural and right for him at that time to place his hands on hers.

She abruptly let him go and run out of the room in the door that was opposite to where he was facing. He was caught unaware by the sudden movement, surprised about the removal the arms that were around him just seconds ago. He was confused. What had just happened?

...

Outside the orphanage, Marron stood. She was looking up at the night sky. It was snowing very hard tonight. She could hardly see any stars.

_I can't believe I actually told him about that. What was I thinking?_

She stopped looking up, sensing it was useless. She liked looking at the stars when she felt confused and didn't know what more to do. She only wanted to help him feel better. To let him know she cared. Was it really okay to hug him like that? What would he think of her now?

As these thoughts rushed through her mind in an incoherent jumble, something in the distance distracted her. She squinted slightly trying to make out the figure coming toward her. It continued to come closer and closer until she could make out a face.

"Marron?" Came a startled voice. A familiar voice.

"Nicki, is that you?" Marron said, a little surprised. "What are you doing out so late?"

Nicki was fairly close to where she stood now, but he did not reply until he was standing next to her.

"I went out for a walk. Care to join me for another? Blizzards are wonderful for walks!" He joked, winking at her and offering her his elbow to hold.

"You're ridiculous, you know?" She rolled her eyes and kicked some snow at his boot.

"Hey!" He laughed and kicked some snow back at her. "If it's such a crime to go out in this weather, may I ask why YOU are out here?"

She paused for a while, unable to answer. A shadow of the sadness she felt while she remembered the story she told to Tala flipped through her mind. Nicki could see it as it showed briefly in her expressive face. She could never keep things from him.

"What's wrong?" He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I was just…" She began slowly and then almost gasped as she felt strong arms being wrapped around her. Nicki hugged her tightly. It was the first time he had ever done this.

"Thinking." She breathed.

Nicki didn't respond but continued to hold her. Slowly, both of them heard the door creak open and a lone figure still enveloped in shadow emerge from it. The light suddenly revealed the fiery red hair and cold blue eyes of Tala Balkov.

* * *

_End Notes:_ So it's been a while but I'd like to know if I've lost my touch or not! I hope that this was worth the wait! Please leave a review and tell me if you would like a next chapter! Thanks guys! Peace!


	9. Fire and Ice

The Arrogant One:

Chapter 9: Fire and Ice

**[Disclaimers]: **I don't any of the characters except for the OCs.

_Author's Notes:_ I think I am my biggest fan. I couldn't resist writing a continuation to this story above all my others because I was most intrigued by the plot of this one above all of the others. It actually made me want to watch Beyblade again after so long and re-familiarize myself with the characters. I guess you could say I'm inspired to write about the characters again after all this time. Without further ado, I will proceed with Chapter 9! Hope you guys like it! R&R please!

* * *

Tala froze where he stood. He meant to go after her, but he never knew what he would do after he actually caught up to her. He also didn't expect to see what he was seeing now. Nicholas had his arms wrapped tightly around her, but he must have noticed the stream of light coming out of the open doorway Tala was standing in. Nicki looked up slowly, his eyes as cold as the long icicles hanging down from the rooftops. He glared at Tala, though he was still holding her.

Tala took one step back. What else could he do? He didn't know why he felt so threatened by the eyes that so much resembled his own and the glare that seemed to be what he had been known for…until now.

Tala couldn't take it anymore. He felt an anger swell deep within him as his gaze slowly raked over the arms encircling Marron. Suddenly, it no longer mattered that this boy seemed somehow more sinister than himself. He wanted to hit Nicholas. He wanted to hurt Nicholas. His fists balled up as his muscles flexed reflexively as a result of the thoughts running through his mind.

It was at this time that Marron realized that she and Nicki were not alone. She saw the stream of light to her side and a hint of the shadow in it. She broke free of Nicki's embrace abruptly, a blush slightly staining her face. She then turned toward the figure standing in the open doorway.

"Tala!" She exclaimed as soon as she could see his face. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Tala said through clenched teeth. He looked murderously at Nicki as he spoke. "I followed you. What are YOU doing with HIM?"

"What's wrong with that?" Marron said, noting that his face was contorted with rage. "Nicki just got home! Why are you so mad anyway?"

Nicki was still glaring at Tala and he said nothing, his fists were also balled now. He looked similarly murderous. Marron glanced from Tala to Nicki, noticing that both of them were glaring at each other, both not moving an inch from where they were standing.

"Nicki, what are you doing?" Marron exclaimed as she looked at Nicki , shocked to see him glaring back at Tala. Still, both of the boys seemed glued in place, not breaking their silent duel.

"I—" Tala was about to respond when a figure suddenly loomed over him.

"What are you three doing?" A raspy voice thundered from behind Tala. He nearly jumped. It was the caretaker. She was holding an old wooden spoon and she looked furious. "Do you not know how many times I have called for dinner?"

"Yes!" Marron jumped, startled at the sound of Caretaker Flemingcof's harsh voice. She had disappeared after that, leaving the three of them still standing in the cold. As soon as the caretaker disappeared and she had recovered from her surprise, Marron started to feel her temper rising until it finally reached the boiling point.

"Marron, he lied to me." Nicki said unequivocally, still glaring at Tala. His expression quickly turning carefully casual to conceal the rage he also felt for Tala as soon as he noticed Marron's hostile expression directed at the pair of them.

"Both of you just STOP IT!" She yelled at them. Both boys broke the stalemate and looked at her. "What are you two DOING anyway? This is ridiculous!"

"I came to look for you." Tala said unemotionally, ignoring what Nicki had said. "You run away and…"

"I'd like to know," Nicki drawled, interrupting what more Tala was about to say. "How is it that despite the fact you pushed my friend down the stairs the other day and nearly choked her, she still cared enough to invite you to stay with us here?"

Tala took in a swift breath. He had not expected this. So that was what he had meant by lied. Nicholas knew what he had done the day before. Nicholas never asked him those questions to know what had happened…he already knew. He was merely testing Tala and seeing if he would tell him the truth.

"I took him home because I felt like it." Marron answered haughtily. "Let that be the end of that, Nicki."

Marron stormed away from the both of them, shoving past Tala to get back in the orphanage. Tala gave one last glare at Nicki before following her inside.

Nicholas stared at the door they had left open for him. He looked up at the snow falling in torrents and at the stars that no one could now see. And then he laughed a most sinister laugh.

…

Marron woke up early the next day and quickly got ready for school. She couldn't sleep at all last night. She couldn't help thinking of the way both Nicki and Tala looked at each other after she had hugged Tala and after Nicki had hugged her soon after. She couldn't understand any of it no matter how hard she thought about it. While she was walking to school however, she decided it was best not to think about it any longer.

_I'll go crazy._ She thought with a sigh. She normally walked to school with Nicki, but today she was too angry at him so she left an hour before he usually left for school. She would have to avoid him today, she decided. It wasn't going to be easy since they were in all the same classes. Not to mention they had more or less the same circle of friends.

"Hey Marron!" A male voice called out to her from behind. Praying it wouldn't be Nicki, she turned to face whoever spoke.

"Tala?" Her voice sounded surprised. Her shock soon gave way to ire as he jogged up to her. "What the heck are you doing? You're not supposed to be going to school. You're suspended."

"I know." Tala replied nonchalantly. "I'm not attending class. I wanted to come with you."

"Why?" Marron snapped angrily, her temper raising a notch. _He must be up to no good again!_

"I just told you why. I wanted to come with you." He smirked at her. She thought he was being vague and uninformative on purpose, just to annoy her. Her temper boiled over.

"You aren't allowed to be in the grounds while in suspension!" She seethed at him, itching to slap the smirk off his superior face.

"I know that." He said, still smirking and walking to keep up with her since she had continued walking. "I wasn't planning on being _on_ the grounds. I merely wanted to walk you to school and be on my merry way. I _am_ a gentleman after all."

"I see." She hissed, giving up on him entirely. "You can do _whatever _you want. I don't care."

"Fine." He said happily, keeping pace with her angry strides easily. His tone infuriated her.

She said nothing more to him until they reached the gates of the school. She didn't tell him she was going in; she just went on ahead even though she knew it was very likely no one was even at school yet, considering the early hour.

He stopped at the gate and watched her walk away, a smirk still on his face.

…

"What's wrong with you today, Marron?" Carrie said, glancing at her friend as the final bell rang. "You've been moping all day."

"Yeah! Did something happen yesterday? Nicki was looking for you all day today, but you seemed to disappear whenever he came by us." Marie echoed Carrie's concerns as the three of them stepped out of the classroom together.

"Nothing happened. I just invited Tala to stay over at the orphanage for a few days—" Marron said in a slightly bored conversational tone.

"Wait, you WHAT?" Carrie exclaimed grabbing Marron by the shoulders and shaking her slightly as soon as the words exited Marron's mouth.

"That demon?" Marie said almost at the same time.

"Shh! Shh! Keep it down!" Marron said, covering both Carrie and Marie's mouths. If this continued, everyone in school would know Tala was living with her in the same house by tomorrow. The gossip about them would never end!

"But!" Carrie said, her voice a harsh whisper after Marron let them both go.

"You have a lot of explaining to do!" Marie said; her face still in blank shock.

Marron didn't respond for a while but suddenly, a loud rumbling sound came from the window. She looked out one of the windows in the hall and immediately felt a nerve twitch in her forehead. Tala was standing outside the gates of the school. He was leaning on what looked to be a big shiny black motorcycle.

At about the same time as that, one of the boys from her class run up to her. He panted for a while and when he caught his breath, he announced in a very loud booming voice.

"Marron! Tala wishes to see you right this instant!" The boy said, sounding much like a herald announcing nobility at a party when he spoke.

"THAT DEMON!" Marron exclaimed furiously, her temper igniting and going to unparalleled heights.

She run all the way down the stairs and in her fury was able to cross the front lawn of the school in mere minutes, running past the stunned crowds of students around her. She came face to face with Tala before coming to a full stop. He had a black leather jacket slung over his shoulder and shades in his hair. It was as if he stepped out of a biker magazine. She wanted to hit him.

"Yo." He said simply, smirking at her expression. She noticed that everyone's eyes seemed to be on them. She hated to think how this might look to them.

"MUST you make my life miserable?" She shrieked, her voice reverberating with the rage she felt. "MUST you torment and humiliate me every day? Everyone is staring at us!"

"I only wanted to come pick you up." He said coolly, not rising to her barbs. "I thought a ride might cheer you up."

"Cheer me up?" She spat. "I don't need any cheering!"

"I can see that." His smile widened as she got even angrier. He almost threw his head back laughing at her extremely enraged expression. "You seem to be holding up nicely on your own."

"Don't patronize me!" She hissed at him as she raised her hand to slap the smirk clear off his conceited face.

"You seemed sad yesterday." His voice sounded soft, pleading for once. His smirk was gone. His tone and suddenly solemn expression caught her off guard and she dropped her hand.

"I want you to know I understand." He continued, his voice carefully controlled.

She said nothing at this. She looked down, slightly confused again. Was he saying he understood what he saw, when he saw Nicki hugging her? Or was he saying he knew how it felt to feel unwanted and unloved? Or was it both?

"Please." He said softly; his hand outstretched, waiting for her to take it. "I would like it if you came with me."

She finally looked up and found herself in front of those enigmatic blue eyes. She was used to seeing them filled with spite and malice, but this time, for the first time since she had set eyes on him, she saw something else. Compassion and maybe…just maybe, a hint of sorrow.

"I'll come with you." She said after a while, surprised that her voice sounded calm. She took his hand and his hand closed over hers gently.

He mounted his bike and helped her onto it. There was a slight grin on his face, though she could not see it. Everyone at school stared and gasped as they watched the both of them. The bike roared back to life as Tala revved up the engine.

"Are you ready?" Tala said turning his head slightly to see her expression.

"Is it okay for me to hold you like this?" She asked suspiciously, ignoring all the people that seemed to be gathering around them while they were stalled there. "Your wounds haven't healed and they might bleed if I hold on too tight."

"If I bleed to death, I'll get you back for it. I promise." He said with a wicked smile. The first real smile she saw from him. It was surprising how kind and how handsome he could look when he smiled…

"Handsome…" She breathed, still staring at him, her eyes glazing over slightly.

"What?" He said over the engine, as he got ready to take off.

"Nothing!" She caught herself and nearly slapped herself for blurting out what she had been thinking just then. She put her arms around him.

"Okay, here we go!" He revved the engine again and they took off, much to the gaping surprise of the entire school who seemed to be out in the lawn watching, Carrie and Marie among them.

…

The cold breeze touched Marron's face as she stared down the cliff that overlooked the entire city. She could not remember ever seeing such a beautifully breathtaking sight. She could hardly believe that he knew how to find this place. She looked back at him.

He had his head bowed down and he was leaning on a tree beside his bike. It was hard to guess his expression from here. She wondered idly what he could be thinking about. Why had he thought to bring her here.

"Tala?" She asked, feeling conscious suddenly. They were all alone in this secluded area.

"Hmm?" He said, looking up suddenly. "What is it?"

"Umm…" She began, not sure about what she should say now.

He continued to stare at her. She couldn't guess his expression. She couldn't guess what he was thinking. His eyes, as blue as the sky above them, looked unfathomably deep yet emotionless. It unnerved her slightly.

"Well…" She tried to continue. "I…"

"I meant what I said earlier." He said suddenly, his tone carefully flat. "I understand."

"What do you mean by that?" She found herself saying softly.

"I mean, I understand how it is to feel left behind. My parents left too." He replied slowly, his eyes still cold, but strangely soft at the same time.

"Oh…I'm…sorry to hear that…" She didn't know what else to say.

"I knew it must have been hard for you to tell me. So he…" Tala trailed off, not knowing exactly how to put what he had seen last night into words.

"I see..." She simply said, turning to face the city again, looking away from him because she was unable to look further into those eyes of his. He surprised her by walking and standing next to her.

"Thank you for cheering me up." She said, a smile touching her lips.

"Thank you for coming with me." He replied simply, smiling as well at the sight of her.

He actually hadn't noticed before either…but she did seem quite beautiful when she smiled. Her long auburn hair was flowing in slight waves behind her, framing a face that he never fully got to examine before now. She had very green eyes, he thought, almost shocked. Almost the same shade as emeralds. He couldn't think of why he never noticed before now.

He looked at her for a long time before offering his hand to her again. Gingerly, she took his hand as they both came to look at the sun setting above the city.

* * *

_End Notes:_So I realize this was kind of a long chapter but I felt it was important to develop the relationship between them now. The question is, what will Nicki do when he finds out? What will the rest of the students think about them now? Will Tala ever find out the mystery surrounding Nicki? Only one way to find out! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please drop me a review if you liked it! I appreciate any suggestions on how you would like to see the story go from here.


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